Liam Howlett claims The Prodigy are ‘as important as Oasis or Blur’

"When you trace the lines back to the Sex Pistols, the Clash, we are in that line," says Howlett

Liam Howlett has said that feels The Prodigy are as influential as Blur and Oasis, adding that they should be mentioned in the same breath as The Sex Pistols and The Clash in the history of British music.

Arguing the cultural importance of The Prodigy and their music, Howlett is quoted as saying: “It’s a bit of a bold statement, but the Prodigy should be seen as an important cultural band. Clarifying, he added: “as important as Oasis or Blur or any of that shit. Britpop was not a culture, as such. I dunno what I’m after … it’s not like I’m after more respect, and I don’t wanna pop up on a few more TV programmes, saying ‘The Prodigy did this!’ I’m just telling people now that, yeah, I think we are important. When you trace the lines back to the Sex Pistols, the Clash, we are in that line.”

Flint, meanwhile, says dance music in 2015 is a genre where fans are “force-fed safe music”. “Everything’s so commercialised it shuts down the underground,” he said. “If you’re on an independent record label now, not once do any of those pricks come up with an exciting idea. When we were on XL, they wanted to be dangerous and they wanted to be exciting because we were dangerous and exciting! But now no one’s there who wants to be dangerous. And that’s why people are getting force-fed commercial, generic records that are just safe, safe, safe.”

‘The Day Is My Enemy’ will be the British electronic band’s first album since 2009’s ‘Invaders Must Die’. Previously, group founder Liam Howlett promised to “wipe the floor” with current crop of dance DJs on the band’s “violent-sounding” new record.

The Prodigy will play a series of live shows starting on May 4 in Newcastle. Subsequent dates in Bridlington, Birmingham, Cardiff, Blackpool, Reading, Brighton and Bournemouth will take place before a pair of London gigs at Alexandra Palace on May 15 and 16.